Why is it so expensive to cut down and remove a tree? (An honest answer)

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www.aldinetreeservices.com

Why is it so expensive to remove a tree? Many folks in passing ask us why it is so expensive to remove a tree. To understand why it is so expense to remove a tree, there are many factors to consider. First, this is a great and fair question when coming from anyone outside of the Tree service industry. In an attempt to better expand, I'll try to add a few important points, and will likely contribute further to the Aldine Tree Services Houston Stump Grinding blog soon. We thank you in advance for reading with an open mind.

Our Insurance Costs:

The Tree Service industry is an above average risk profession. Consequently, our premiums are extremely high. This is a cost which is hard for us to "wear on our shirts". Most potential customers have already considered the easily seen costs such as labor, vehicles and professional tools, however insurance is a not so tangible hidden cost which we pay heavily to maintain.

High Skilled Labor Costs:

The insurance companies know most people aren't meant to climb trees. We are a very small local and family owned company, however we pay our team members very well.
The work is brutal, and requires incredible strength, skill and stamina.
We've had many people come to us eager to learn, however after a short period of time realized they needed to look for another type of work.
The team members who work on the ground hauling away sections, branches, limbs, twigs, logs, are highly paid.
Due to the skill set required, a member of our company team who is capable and experienced climbing a tree is paid even more. To become a skilled tree climber, one literally invests months or years in an apprentice role.
Our industry is very competitive. To reduce turn-over, we pay our workers fairly.

Equipment Costs:

We have invested a great amount of financial capital in the necessary professional timber equipment to perform. Examples include, but are not limited to the following:

Work Trucks
Stump Grinders
Industrial Trailers
Chippers
Professional Chainsaws
Safety Ropes
Personal safety Harnesses
Safety Goggles and glasses
Hearing protection equipment
Tree Climbing boots
Uniforms
Axes, Pick-ax, Shovels
Fuel, oil, hydraulic fluids

Vehicle Maintenance:

Beyond Gas, Diesel, Oil, and filters (none of which are free to us), we have to pay for maintenance and upkeep to each of our trucks. Naturally, we have mechanical repairs which further add to our costs.
We pull heavy loads, and this is very hard on Brake pads. We replace these very frequently, and the cost adds up.

Repairs on a Diesel engine are notoriously expensive, and we are not exempt.
Similar to brake pads, the weight of our loads, causes us to wear out tires much faster than any rationally thinking person outside of the industry might consider.

Equipment Upkeep:

We have seen many in the industry look at chainsaws, chippers, and stump grinders as almost disposable coffee cups. By this I mean, literally we've observed and been told by some of our professional peers that their time is too valuable to consider maintaining a chain-saw. Many trash them instead of performing the basic upkeep necessary or repairing them. Some will sell them for pennies on the dollar to allow them to be used for parts in a Fred G. Sanford junkyard philosophy.
Time is an expensive commodity in and of itself, and we often wish we could figure out a way to add more hours to a day, but we all know it's not going to happen. We invest our own personal time maintaining and repairing our equipment. We know it's much better for the environment to try to keep an item working, and not simply buy another one. We are highly respectful of Mother Nature. Well kept equipment is one important detail to help reasonably lower our carbon footprint.
Replacing the teeth on a stump grinder is very time consuming, and requires a high degree of patience and mechanical skill. The parts themselves often cause an informed client to shake their head in disbelief. When we have shared the costs involved with buying a trunk shredder, we've seen the near shocked expressions in the eyes of customers. Upon hearing this, we've been told, "Wow. You've just told me a mouthful, and now I not only understand why it costs so much to grind a stump, however I almost wonder how you guys are able to do it?"
Chippers also require a great deal of upkeep, and have multiple expensive pieces. We may blog a separate article to further explain limb chipper and mulch producing grinders.

Tree Type:

Similar to snowflakes, no two trees are alike. Some folks believe a Pine tree should be easy to cut, because it doesn't have a great number of branches. Honestly, this is only partially true. The hard fact is most new tree climbers are more afraid to climb a pine than most other trees.
Pines are very flexible, and bob and weave with only a bit of wind. The higher we climb, the more they bend. Speaking for myself, I have a high degree of confidence in my skill-set, however I have to dedicate more time when cutting a pine. We practice what we preach, and without safety, we won't be in business.
Ash trees present a dense population of branches, limbs and sticks, and make for a work intensive project. Many have had their Ash infected with bores, or have simply feared the bore plague may infect one tree, and spread through their property forest, and have asked us to remove them even when they hadn't been contaminated.
Oaks are a solid tree requiring lots of patience, because the saw blade isn't able to conquer the bark and logs at the same speed as other varieties.
Elms grow tall, and have many branches. This slows down work progress.
Pecans are a deceptively time consuming arbor to tackle.
A Hackberry presents less challenges than an Ash, however doesn't cut itself.
Sycamores and Maples present their own respective challenges.

Tree Location:

Not only are no two trees equal, each location is a separate situation.
A few rules to consider.

The closer a tree is to your home, the more expensive the estimate. Why?

This is a good question. Any project which presents more risk, requires us to work more deliberately, slowly, and employ more team members. These are costly resources for us.

If a tree is leaning over a roof line, it will also add to the cost.

These are among our most dangerous encounters.
Home owners often find themselves surrounded by unwanted menacing limbs which after a storm or two may fall atop their roof, break windows or enter the home through a drop crash during heavy wind.
After speaking with folks who have had their insurance company advise them to rent a tarp for their roof while they awaited a repair after a tornado or hurricane wind broke a section or unrooted an entire pine and caused it to breach their home, we've been told, "If I had known, I would have considered removing these limbs or trees as accident prevention." We respect each customers wishes.

Arbors close to windows present safety challenges.
Size. Some tend to think any tree costs the same. Not only is this oversimplification, it doesn't calculate a factor as basic as size. Naturally, the larger the tree, the heavier, more dangerous, and more labor intensive the job.
Access. Front Yard projects tend to be less expensive than their backyard counterparts.

My name is Delfino Sanchez Vargas, and I've tried to summarize this in an easy to consume fashion. We hope it helps you process and understand our costs which are all involved with project pricing. We love working outdoors, and we thank all of our loyal customers for helping us with repeat business, and for referring their neighbors, family, coworkers, and friends.